Connector assembly

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for enabling the rapid installation of dual-in-line type integrated circuit modules in an electronic system, including a male connector frame which fits into a female frame to hold a set of circuit modules between them, the female frame being easily connected to the electronic system. The male and female frames each have many corresponding recesses, and have resilient conductive elements in the recesses. The circuit modules are first installed on the male frame with their leads lying over the elements in the male frame recesses. When the male frame is inserted into the female frame, the module leads are trapped between the elements on the male and female frames. The male frame is constructed of plastic material, and the bodies of the circuit modules are held thereon between an elongated heat sink that lies close to the male frame and a retainer member on a side of the modules opposite the heat sink.

United States Patent Walterscheid [52] US. Cl. ..339/17 CF, 339/19,339/92 M,

339/112 R, 339/174, 339/176 MP [51] Int. Cl ..H01r 13/00, HOlr 13/54[58] Field ofSearch ..339/l7C,l7CF,17F,17L,

339/17 LC, 17 LM, 19 R, 22 B, 75 M, 75 MP, 91 R, 91 L, 92, 95, 112R,174, 176 M, 176 MF, 176 MP; 317/100, 101 A, 101 C, 101 CC, 101 OE;l74/DlG.

[151 3,656,183 [451 Apr. 11,1972

3,380,016 4/1968 Samsonetal ..339/l74 Primary Examiner-Marvin A.Champion Assistant Examiner-Lawrence J. Staab Att0rneyLindenberg,Freilich & Wasserman [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for enabling the rapidinstallation of dual-in-line type integrated circuit modules in anelectronic system, including a male connector frame which fits into afemale frame to hold a set of circuit modules between them, the femaleframe being easily connected to the electronic system. The male andfemale frames each have many corresponding recesses, and have resilientconductive elements in the recesses. The circuit modules are firstinstalled on the male frame with their leads lying over the elements inthe male frame recesses. When the male frame is inserted into the femaleframe, the module leads are trapped between the elements on the male andfemale frames. The male frame is constructed of plastic material, andthe bodies of the circuit modules are held thereon between an elongatedheat sink that lies close to the male frame and a retainer member on aside of the modules opposite the heat sink.

10 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures 3, DIG. 5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,913,871 6/1933 Connell etal ..l79/9l 3,002,176 9/1961 Yopp ...339/l76 MP 3,069,753 12/1962Lalmond et al ..29/l55.55 3,155,446 11/1964 Kowaleski et al. ...339/l76MP 3,311,790 3/1967 Vizzier et al ..3 17/100 PATENTEDAPR 1 1 m2 SHEET 3OF 4 7350 .B W44 7525c HES/D IN VEN TOR.

A 'rToQArEs/S PATENTEDAFR 1 1 I972 sum n []F 4 INVENTOR. TED .B.WALTERSCHE/D IOTTOQJEYS CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to connectorassemblies for facilitating the installation of integrated circuitmodules in a complex electrical system.

2. Description of the Prior Art Complex electrical apparatus, such asdigital computers, are often constructed using integrated circuitmodules. One common type of module form is the dual-in-line type whereineach module has a body and electrical leads extending above the upperface of the body. The circuit modules are generally constructed in astandard size and shape, although the thicknesses of different modulesmay vary somewhat. Inasmuch as a computer may utilize many of suchmodules, it is necessary to provide simple mounting apparatus for themto enable connection of the leads of the modules to each other and tovarious inputs and outputs of the electrical system.

One type of connector assembly includes male and female connector framesfor trapping several circuit modules between them, with the leads of themodule pressed against contact elements in the female frame. The contactelements have pins extending from the frame, which can be easilyconnected to the rest of the electrical system. A connector assemblytypically holds up to five circuit modules, each module having either 14or 16 leads, for a total of 70 to 80 leads that must be connected in thesystem. The complete electrical system may employ hundreds of suchconnector assemblies. In order to permit rapid installation and removalof the modules, no soldering or the like is employed. The ability toeconomically construct complex electrical systems using large numbers ofsuch modules, depends upon the provision of connector assemblies whichassure reliable, low resistance connections with modules which aremerely laid in place.

I OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the presentinvention is to provide a highly reliable connector assembly for circuitmodules.

Another object is to provide a connector assembly for circuit moduleswhich reliably holds modules of a variety of thicknesses and effectivelydissipates heat from the modules.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a connector assemblyis provided which includes female and male connector frames, for holdingintegrated circuit modules between them. The female frame has numerousrecesses on its inner region and the male frame has correspondingrecesses along the portion received in the female frame. A first groupof resilient contact elements is disposed in the recesses of the femaleframe, and a second group of resilient contact elements is disposed inthe recesses of the male frame. The male frame is constructed to hold acircuit module so that the leads lie over its contact elements. Thus,when the male frame is inserted into the female frame, the leads of thecircuit module are held between the resilient elements of the twoframes.

The resilient contact elements on the male and female frames haveportions that extend to positions outside of the frames, which enables afunctional test for contact between the circuit module leads and thecontact elements. Such a test is made by measuring the resistancebetween portions of corresponding male and female contact elements thatlie outside the frames. These same extending contact elements may beused for integrating discrete electrical components into the system orfor additional connecting wiring.

A heat sink is provided on the male frame, the heat sink being a stripof thermally conductive material with its ends in contact with screwsthat hold the frames together and to a mounting panel. The circuits aremounted against the heat sink strip and are held thereto by a flexibleretainer member that accommodates different thicknesses of circuitmodule bodies. The mounting of the upper surfaces of the module bodiesagainst the heat sink strip, which is fixed with respect to the maleframe, assures uniform location of the leads of modules of differentthicknesses.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. The invention will be best understood from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of aconnector assembly constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the male portion of theconnector assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the female portion of theconnector assembly of FIG. 1, and of bus strips that can be usedtherewith;

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of the male assembly portion of theassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of the male assembly of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the male assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the female assembly portion of the assembly ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the female assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the female assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 1, showingthe male and female assembly portions in a fully installed position; and

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10, but at the beginning ofinstallation of the male assembly portion in the female portIOI'l.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a connectorassembly 10 which includes a female frame 12 which receives a male frame14. The purpose of the connector assembly is to receive an integratedcircuit module 16 of the dual-in-line type and connect the rows of leads18 extending from the module to corresponding pins 20 extending from thefemale frame 12 of the assembly. The entire assembly is designed to bemounted on a panel which holds many of such assemblies in a complexelectrical device such as a digital computer. After the connectorassembly is mounted on the panel along with other similar assemblies,wire wrap connections can be made from any of the pins 20 to any otherpins on the same connector assembly or other assemblies on the panel.

The connector assembly is designed to facilitate the replacement of anyof the circuit modules 16. This can be accomplished by removing a pairof screws 22, 24 that hold the male and female frames together,replacing the module on the male frame, and reinstalling the male framein the female frame. The male connector assembly has test point regions26 that extend from the top of the male frame, each test point regionbeing electrically connected to one of the leads 18 of a circuit moduleinstalled in the assembly. Additional capacitors or other devices can beadded to the module by connecting them across a pair of test pointregions 26 to connect them to the leads of the circuit module. If thereis doubt about the establishment of a satisfactory electrical contactbetween any lead of the circuit module 16 and one of the pins 20, thiscan be tested by connecting an ohm-meter or any other selected testingapparatus between one or more test point regions 26 and/or acorresponding pin 20.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded views of the female and male assemblyportions of the connector assembly. As shown in FIG. 2, the male frame14 has an upper bed portion 28 and a lower block portion 30, the'blockor'holding portion having numerous recesses 32 on either side. A malecontact element 34 is provided for each recess, each contact elementhaving a lower contacting portion 36 which lies in the recess, and anupper portion forming the test point region 26 for that element. Theblock 30 may have a large number of recesses such as 44 on each side,and it has a like number of male contact 5 elements 34 disposed in therecesses.

The male assembly portion includes a heat sink member 38 to helpdissipate heat from the circuit modules held in the connector assembly.The heat sink is desirable because the circuit modules generate heat inuse and a means of distributing the heat over the maximum areafacilitates its dissipation, particularly since the frames areconstructed of a thermally insulative material. The heat sink member 38includes a long strip portion 40 and a pair of end portions 42, 44. Theend portions 42, 44 are designed to receive the screws 22, 24 to holdthe heat sink member in place against the bottom of the block 30. Aretainer member 46 is provided which holds the integrated circuitmodules 16 against the heat sink member 38 and therefore in place on theframe 14. The retainer member has ends 48, 50 which are held by tabs 52,54 on the heat sink member. To mount one or more circuit modules 16 onthe male assembly portion, the modules are placed with their uppersurface 56 against the heat sink member 38, and with their leads 18extending along the recesses 32 in the block portion of the male frame.The retainer member 46 is then installed on the heat sink member tocomplete the assembly.

FIG. 3 illustrates the female assembly portion, showing the frame 12 andthe inner region or cavity 58 therein which receives the male assembly.The walls of the cavity 58 are formed with many recesses 60corresponding to the recesses in the male frame. A group of female framecontact elements 62 are provided, each having a connector portion or pin20 and a contacting portion 64 which is disposed in one of the recesses60. A pair of fasteners 66, 68 is installed at either end of the femaleframe. Each fastener has an upper internal thread 70 for receiving oneof the screws 22, 24 to enable the male and female frames to be heldtightly together. Each fastener also has a threaded stud portion 72, 74to facilitate fastening of the connector assembly to a bus bar or otherelements ofa complete panel.

The male assembly portion is installed in the female portion by merelypushing the male frame into the cavity 58 of the female frame andtightening the screws 22, 24. Electrical connections are automaticallymade between the leads 18 of the circuit modules and the female framecontact elements 62, to enable access to the circuit modules through thepins 20 of the female frame contact elements and/or the test points 26.The female cavity has corners 59, 61 that have blocking portions,instead of being rounded like the other two corners. This allows themale frame to be installed in only one orientation, instead of eitherone of two orientations. The corners block improper male frame insertionbefore contact can be made between any female frame contact element andthe leads of modules on the male frame.

FIGS. 11 and illustrate the connector assembly prior to and after theinstallation of the male assembly portion in the female assemblyportion. As shown in FIG. 11, the upper or contacting portion 64 of thefemale frame contact element 62 has a bowed configuration along most ofits length, one part 76 of the bowed portion being substantiallystraight. The upper end of the contacting portion 64 has a sharp U curveso that the outer end 78 lies in a well 80 formed in the female frame.The lower or contacting portion 36 of the male frame contact element 34is also formed with a bowed configuration along most of its length,although this is a simple bow rather than one with straight portions. Aswith the female frame contact element, the outer portion is looped sothat the outer end 82 lies in a well 84 formed in the block of the maleframe. The lead 18 of the circuit module 16 extends upwardly along thebowed contacting portion 36 of the male frame contact element.

When the male assembly portion is moved down into the cavity 58 of thefemale frame 12, the apparatus achieves the configuration shown in FIG.10. It can be seen that the bowed female frame contacting portion 64 hasbeen outwardly deflected while the bowed male frame contacting portion36 has been inwardly deflected, the circuit module lead 18 lying betweenthem. If the male assembly portion is moved down in the verticaldirection, indicated by arrow 86, then the module lead 18 and thestraight part 76 of the female element extend outwardly at an angle A ofabout 4 from the vertical direction. It can be seen that a large area ofthe lead 18 contacts the straight part 76 of the female contact elementto provide for a low resistance contact between them. In addition,during sliding of the male connector assembly down into place, thesurfaces of the lead 18 and straight portion 76 slide over one another.The sliding action prior to full installation tends to remove anyinsulative film on the surfaces to further lower the final contactresistance. The male frame contacting element 36 is thinner than thefemale frame element 64, so that the male frame element 36 can be moreeasily deformed to push a large area of the lead 18 against the femaleelement. Both contact elements 36, 64 are constructed of a fiat strip ofresilient conductive material such as beryllium copper, the male frameelement 36 having a thickness such as 0.007 inch and the female frameelement 64 having a thickness such as 0.010 inch.

Referring again to FIG. 2, most of the integrated circuit modules 16have at least two leads which are connected to a power supply. Thus, iffive modules are mounted on a connector assembly, 10 of the pins 20extending from the female frame must be connected to a power supply.While such a connection could be accomplished by using 10 wires leadingfrom 10 pins of the connector assembly to two power leads on the panelwhich holds the assembly, this could add to the cost of connecting apanel. In accordance with the invention, special bus strips are providedto facilitate power connections. FIG. 3 illustrates a pair of bus strips88, which facilitate connection of a bus bar assembly 92, which runsalong the length of a frame which holds many connector modules 10, toselected pins 20 of the connector assembly.

The bus bar assembly 92 has three bus bars 94, 96 and 98 which can carrycurrent to circuit modules in the connector assemblies. Generally, onlytwo bus bars 96, 98 are utilized, the other bar 94 generally beinggrounded to supply a ground where required. A group of pins 100, 102 and104 extend from the bus bars at uniform spacings along the bus barassembly. The pins are connected to the bus bars 94, 96 and 98,respectively, to facilitate connection of the bus strips.

The first bus strip 88 has bus clips 106 spaced along its length, eachdesigned to engage a pin and make electrical contact therewith. One clip106e engages the pin 104 to connect the strip 88 to the bus bar 98. Theother clips on the strip 88 engage the pins 20 extending down from thefemale frame 12 to make electrical contact with those pins and to thecircuit module leads connected thereto. In a similar manner, the otherbus strip 90 has clips 108, one of them designed to connect to the busbar pin 102 and the other clips designed to couple to pins 20 extendingfrom the female frame. By utilizing only two bus strips 88, 90, ten pins20 can be connected to two bus bars 96, 98 which carry current toenergize the circuit modules.

Generally, all integrated circuit modules will have particular leadsthat must be supplied with power. Thus, almost every connector assemblyin a complex electrical system can utilize a pair of bus stripsidentical to those shown at 88, 90 to supply power to the circuitmodules. If it is desired to eliminate the connection between any clip106 or 108 and one of the pins 20, then that clip can be easily removed.The bus strips are generally supplied with an insulative coating oneither face (but not on the clips) to insulate them from thesurroundings. The use of the bus strips which lie against one anotherresults in high capacitance between them to increase the speed of thecircuit or provide other desirable characteristics. The high capacitanceis an advantage which generally cannot be easily obtained with simplewire wrap connections.

FIGS. 4-9 illustrate some of the mechanical details of construction ofthe male and female assemblies. As shown in FIG. 5, the tab 54 on theheat sink member 38 is lanced at its outer end to form a projection 110which fits into an undercut region 112 formed in the end 50 of theretainer member 46, to hold the retainer member in place. This enablesthe retainer member 46 to be installed by merely pushing it up againstthe heat sink member after the circuit modules are in place.(Installation of the circuit modules is performed while the male frameis upside down from the position shown in the figures.) The heat sinkmember 38 has a screw receiving end portion 114 which is bifurcated toembrace a groove 116 formed in the screw 24. The receiving end portion114 can be installed by pushing it over the threaded part of the screwuntil the arms at end portion 114 separate in moving into the groove andthen spring together when they are fully in the groove.

The fact that the receiving end portion 114 of the heat sink member isin contact with the screw 24, enables the heat sink member to conductheat to it. As mentioned above, the screw 24 fits into a fasteningmember on the female frame, that fastening member fitting into a panelwhich holds the entire connector assembly. The screw 24 and fastenermember to which it is attached are constructed of thermally conductivematerial such as aluminum, so that a good thermal path is establishedbetween the heat sink member 38 and the frame of the electrical system.In addition, a good heat path is established between the retainer member46 and the heat sink member 38 and to the panel which holds theconnector assembly.

The retainer member 46 is composed of two parts, including a thin upperpart 118 of resilient, thermally conductive material such as berylliumcopper and a backing strip 120 of a cheaper material such as aluminum.The upper part or spring member 118 has spring tabs 122 punched out ofit and formed in a curve to enable it to push against the body of acircuit module. The upper part 118 is held by rivets 124 to the backingstrip 120. The tabs 122 not only hold the circuit modules in place, butserve to conduct heat from them. The heat conductive material of tabs122 can conduct substantial heat from the modules even with a lowcontact area. The tabs 122 carry this heat to the backing strip 120which can carry it to the heat sink 38 for dissipation on the panel ofthe electrical system.

The placement of the retainer member 46 below the circuit modules servesto assure uniform placement of the leads 18 of the modules on theconnector block 30. The bodies of the integrated circuit modules mayvary in thickness, but the leads generally extend from the bodies at auniform distance from the upper surface 56 of the module body. In thepresent connector assembly, the upper surfaces 56 of the modules all lieat a known position, this being the lower surface of the heat sinkmember 38. Accordingly, the leads generally extend a uniform distancealong the recesses 32 in the block portion 30 of the male frame so thatits position with respect to the female contact elements is known. Ifthe body of the circuit module is thicker or thinner than normal,however, it is still held tightly in place by the resilient tabs 122which lie on a side of the module bodies opposite the heat sink member38.

Thus, the invention provides a connector assembly which enables therapid installation and removal of circuit modules from connection to anelectrical system. The apparatus utilizes contact elements that assure alarge area sliding contact between the leads of the module and connectorpins of the assembly. In addition, the assembly provides for good heatdissipation from the modules. These features are provided using arelatively simple and reliable connector assembly.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variationsmay readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it isintended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications andequivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. A connector assembly for receiving circuit modules with bodies ofuniform width and variable thickness, and which have upwardly extendingleads generally uniformly spaced from the upper face of the body,comprising:

a female frame constructed of electrically insulative material andhaving an inner region;

a male frame for reception in said female frame, said male frameconstructed of electrically insulative material and having a pluralityof recesses for receiving the leads of circuit modules;

an elongated heat sink member of high heat-conductive material mountedon said male frame on the side thereof which first enters said femaleframe; and

a retainer mounted on said male frame and spaced from said heat sinkmember so a circuit module body can be received between them, saidretainer having resilient portions for pressing circuit module bodies ofvarious thicknesses against said heat sink member.

2. The connector assembly described in claim 1 wherein:

said retainer member includes an elongated spring member of highlyheat-conductive material with tabs formed therein having outer endportions for pressing against said circuit module bodies, and asubstantially rigid backing member of heat-conductive material disposedagainst said spring member, said backing member having opposite endsheld against said heat sink member.

3. A connector assembly for receiving circuit modules with leads thereoncomprising:

a female connector frame having a cavity whose inner walls have aplurality of recesses;

a plurality of first electrical contact elements, each mounted on saidfemale frame and having a portion within one of said recesses;

a male connector frame having a block portion for slidable reception insaid cavity of said female frame, said block portion having a pluralityof recesses on its outer walls;

a plurality of second electrical contact elements, each mounted on saidmale frame and having a portion within one of said recesses on said maleframe, each of said first and second elements having a lead-contactingregion located to lie adjacent to the lead-contacting region of acorresponding electrical contact of the other frame when the male frameis fully inserted into the female frame;

holding means for holding at least one of said circuit modules on saidmale frame with its leads lying over at least part of thelead-contacting region of some of said second elements, so that saidleads lie between contacting regions of said first and second elementswhen said male frame is inserted into said female frame; and

means for fastening said holding means on said male connector frameindependently of reception of said male frame in said female frame.

4. The connector assembly described in claim 3 wherein:

said lead-contacting region of each of said first contact elements has asubstantially straight portion and each of said first elements ismounted so that said straight portion is maintained at a small outwardangle from the direction of sliding of said male frame block portioninto said female frame cavity when said male frame is fully insertedinto said female frame cavity.

5. A connector assembly for receiving the body of a circuit module andfacilitating connection of its leads to other circuits comprising:

a female connector frame having a plurality of recesses on either sideof its inner region;

a plurality of first contact elements, each constructed of anelectrically conductive material, and each having a connector portionfixed to said frame and a resilient contacting portion biased to aposition spaced from the innermost wall of one of said recesses so itcan deflect inwardly;

a male connector frame having a male holding portion with a plurality ofrecesses on either side, for reception in said female connector frame,to hold the body of said circuit module at a position between saidholding portion and said female connector with the leads of said modulereceived in said recesses of said holding portion, each of said framesbeing elongated and having opposite ends for receiving fasteners to holdit to the other frame;

a plurality of second contact elements, each having a contacting portiondisposed in one of said recesses of said male connector frame at aposition deeper therein than the positions at which said leads arereceived, and a test point portion extending to a position accessibleoutside of said frame when said male frame is in said female frame;

an elongated strip of material which is highly heat conductive extendingsubstantially along the length of said male frame adjacent to thepositions of circuit module bodies 1 on said male frame, said strippositioned so it is between said male frame and the bodies of circuitmodules thereon and having ends positioned to contact fasteners holdingsaid frames together; and

a retainer member positioned on a side of circuit module bodies oppositesaid strip of heat conductive material for biasing said bodies towardssaid strip. A connector assembly for receiving the body of a circuitmodule and facilitating connection of its leads to other circuitscomprising:

a female connector frame having a plurality of recesses on either sideof its inner region;

a plurality of first contact elements, each constructed of a conductivematerial, and having a connector portion fixed to said frame and acontacting portion at least partially disposed in one of said recessesof said female connector frame;

a male connector frame having a male holding portion with a circuitmodule having a body disposed between said holding portion of said maleconnector frame and said female connector frame, and having a pluralityof electrical leads on either side, each lead extending between one ofsaid first contact elements on said female frame and one of said secondcontact elements on said male connector frame.

The connector assembly described in claim 6 wherein:

said male frame is formed for reception in said female frame by slidingit therein, and said first and second contact elements have elongatedcontact regions for contacting said circuit module leads, said contactregions extending with a major directional component parallel to thedirection of sliding of said male frame into said female frame, wherebyto provide a large area of contact between a lead and each contactelement.

8. Circuit module mounting and connecting apparatus for receiving thebody of a circuit module and facilitating connection of its leads toother circuits comprising:

a circuit module having a body and leads;

a female connector frame having a plurality of recesses on either sideof its inner region;

a plurality of first contact elements, each constructed of a conductivematerial and having a connector portion fixed to said frame and aresilient contacting portion biased to a position spaced from theinnermost wall of one of said recesses so it can deflect inwardly;

a male connector frame having a male holding portion with a plurality ofrecesses on either side, said male holding portion received in saidfemale frame inner region with the body of said circuit module betweenthem and with the leads of said module received in said recesses of saidholding portion; and

a plurality of second contact elements, each having a contacting portiondisposed in one of said recesses of said male connector frame at aposition deeper therein than the positions at which said leads arereceived, and an exposed test point portion on the outside of said maleframe, whereby to enable testing for contact resistance between saidfirst elements and each of said circuit module leads.

9. Circuit module mounting and connecting apparatus for receiving thebody of a circuit module and facilitating connection of its leads toother circuits comprising:

an elongated female connector frame having a plurality of recesses oneither side of its inner region and having opposite ends,

a plurality of first contact elements, each constructed of a conductivematerial and having a connector portion fixed to said frame and aresilient contacting portion biased to a position spaced from theinnermost wall of one of said recesses so it can deflect inwardly;

an elongated male connector frame having a male holding portion with aplurality of recesses on either side, for reception in said femaleconnector frame, the depth of said female frame inner region and of saidmale holding portion chosen to provide sufficient space between them,when said male frame is fully inserted into said female frame, toreceive the body of said circuit module at a position between saidholding portion and said female connector with the leads of said modulereceived in said recesses of said holding portion, said male connectorframe having opposite ends for receiving fasteners to hold it to saidfemale frame;

a plurality of second contact elements, each having a contacting portiondisposed in one of said recesses of said male connector frame at aposition deeper therein than the positions at which said leads arereceived; and

an elongated strip of material which is highly heat conductive, saidstrip extending substantially along the length of said male frameadjacent to the positions of circuit module bodies on said male frameand lying between said opposite sides of said inner region of saidfemale frame when said male frame is received in said female frame, saidstrip having ends positioned to contact fasteners holding said framestogether, whereby to carry heat from said module bodies to saidfasteners.

10. Circuit module mounting and connecting apparatus for receiving thebody of a circuit module and facilitating connec tion of its leads toother circuits comprising:

a female connector frame having a plurality of recesses on either sideof its inner region;

a plurality of first contact elements, each constructed of a conductivematerial and having a connector portion fixed to said frame and aresilient contacting portion biased to a position spaced from theinnermost wall of one of said recesses so it can deflect inwardly, eachcontacting por' tion having an outwardly bowed part with an inner endsubstantially fixed in position and an outer end free to move inwardly,said bowed part having a substantially straight region near its outerend for contacting the leads of circuit modules, the substantiallystraight region being outwardly angled so that the straight regions ofcontact elements at opposite sides of said female frame inner region areprogressively closer together at locations pregressively deeper withinsaid inner region;

a male connector frame having a male holding portion with a plurality ofrecesses on either side, for reception in said female connector frame,the depth of said female frame inner region and of said male holdingportion chosen to provide sufficient space between them, when said maleframe is fully inserted into said female frame, to receive the body ofsaid circuit module at a position between said holding portion and saidfemale connector with the leads of said module received in said recessesof said holding portion; and

a plurality of second contact elements, each having a contacting portiondisposed in one of said recesses of said male connector frame at aposition deeper therein than the positions at which said leads arereceived.

1. A connector assembly for receiving circuit modules with bodies ofuniform width and variable thickness, and which have upwardly extendingleads generally uniformly spaced from the upper face of the body,comprising: a female frame constructed of electrically insulativematerial and having an inner region; a male frame for reception in saidfemale frame, said male frame constructed of electrically insulativematerial and having a plurality of recesses for receiving the leads ofcircuit modules; an elongated heat sink member of high heat-conductivematerial mounted on said male frame on the side thereof which firstenters said female frame; and a retainer mounted on said male frame andspaced from said heat sink member so a circuit module body can bereceived between them, said retainer having resilient portions forpressing circuit module bodies of various thicknesses against said heatsink member.
 2. The connector assembly described in claim 1 wherein:said retainer member includes an elongated spring member of highlyheat-conductive material with tabs formed therein having outer endportions for pressing against said circuit module bodies, and asubstantially rigid backing member of heat-conductive material disposedagainst said spring member, said backing member having opposite endsheld against said heat sink member.
 3. A connector assembly forreceiving circuit modules with leads thereon comprising: a femaleconnector frame having a cavity whose inner walls have a plurality ofrecesses; a plurality of first electrical contact elements, each mountedon said female frame and having a portion within one of said recesses; amale connector frame having a block portion for slidable reception insaid cavity of said female frame, said block portion having a pluralityof recesses on its outer walls; a plurality of second electrical contactelements, each mounted on said male frame and having a portion withinone of said recesses on said male frame, each of said first and secondelements having a lead-contacting region located to lie adjacent to thelead-contacting region of a corresponding electrical contact of theother frame when the male frame is fully inserted into the female frame;holding means for holding at least one of said circuit modules on saidmale frame with its leads lying over at least part of thelead-contacting region of some of said second elements, so that saidleads lie between contacting regions of said first and second elementswhen said male frame is inserted into said female frame; and means forfastening said holding means on said male connector frame independentlyof reception of said male frame in said female frame.
 4. The connectorassembly described in claim 3 wherein: said lead-contacting region ofeach of said first contact elements has a substantially straight portionand each of said first elements is mounted so that said straight portionis maintained at a small outward angle from the direction of sliding ofsaid male frame block portion into said female frame cavity when saidmale frame is fully inserted into said female frame cavity.
 5. Aconnector assembly for receiving the body of a circuit module andfacilitating connection of its leads to other circuits comprising: afemale connector frame having a plurality of recesses on either side ofits inner region; a plurality of first contact elements, eachconstructed of an electrically conductive material, and each having aconnector portion fixed to said frame and a resilient contacting portionbiased to a position spaced from the innermost wall of one of saidrecesses so it can deflect inwardly; a male connector frame having amale holding portion with a plurality of recesses on either side, forreception in said female connector frame, to hold the body of saidcircuit module at a position between said holding portion and saidfemale connector with the leads of said module received in said recessesof said holding portion, each of said frames being elongated and havingopposite ends for receiving fasteners to hold it to the other frame; aplurality of second contact elements, each having a contacting portiondisposed in one of said recesses of said male connector frame at aposition deeper therein than the positions at which said leads arereceived, and a test point portion extending to a position accessibleoutside of said frame when said male frame is in said female frame; anelongated strip of material which is highly heat conductive extendingsubstantially along the length of said male frame adjacent to thepositions of circuit module bodies on said male frame, said strippositioned so it is between said male frame and the bodies of circuitmodules thereon and having ends positioned to contact fasteners holdingsaid frames together; and a retainer member positioned on a side ofcircuit module bodies opposite said strip of heat conductive materialfor biasing said bodies towards said strip.
 6. A connector assembly forreceiving the body of a circuit module and facilitating connection ofits leads to other circuits comprising: a female connector frame havinga plurality of recesses on either side of its inner region; a pluralityof first contact elements, each constructed of a conductive material,and having a connector portion fixed to said frame and a contactingportion at least partially disposed in one of said recesses of saidfemale connector frame; a male connector frame having a male holdingportion with a plurality of recesses on either side, for reception insaid female connector frame, to hold the body of said circuit module ata position between said holding portion and said female connector framewith the leads of said module received in said recesses of said holdinGportion; a plurality of second contact elements mounted on said maleconnector frame, each of said second contact elements having acontacting portion disposed in one of said recesses of said maleconnector frame at a position deeper therein than the positions at whichsaid leads are received; and a circuit module having a body disposedbetween said holding portion of said male connector frame and saidfemale connector frame, and having a plurality of electrical leads oneither side, each lead extending between one of said first contactelements on said female frame and one of said second contact elements onsaid male connector frame.
 7. The connector assembly described in claim6 wherein: said male frame is formed for reception in said female frameby sliding it therein, and said first and second contact elements haveelongated contact regions for contacting said circuit module leads, saidcontact regions extending with a major directional component parallel tothe direction of sliding of said male frame into said female frame,whereby to provide a large area of contact between a lead and eachcontact element.
 8. Circuit module mounting and connecting apparatus forreceiving the body of a circuit module and facilitating connection ofits leads to other circuits comprising: a circuit module having a bodyand leads; a female connector frame having a plurality of recesses oneither side of its inner region; a plurality of first contact elements,each constructed of a conductive material and having a connector portionfixed to said frame and a resilient contacting portion biased to aposition spaced from the innermost wall of one of said recesses so itcan deflect inwardly; a male connector frame having a male holdingportion with a plurality of recesses on either side, said male holdingportion received in said female frame inner region with the body of saidcircuit module between them and with the leads of said module receivedin said recesses of said holding portion; and a plurality of secondcontact elements, each having a contacting portion disposed in one ofsaid recesses of said male connector frame at a position deeper thereinthan the positions at which said leads are received, and an exposed testpoint portion on the outside of said male frame, whereby to enabletesting for contact resistance between said first elements and each ofsaid circuit module leads.
 9. Circuit module mounting and connectingapparatus for receiving the body of a circuit module and facilitatingconnection of its leads to other circuits comprising: an elongatedfemale connector frame having a plurality of recesses on either side ofits inner region and having opposite ends, a plurality of first contactelements, each constructed of a conductive material and having aconnector portion fixed to said frame and a resilient contacting portionbiased to a position spaced from the innermost wall of one of saidrecesses so it can deflect inwardly; an elongated male connector framehaving a male holding portion with a plurality of recesses on eitherside, for reception in said female connector frame, the depth of saidfemale frame inner region and of said male holding portion chosen toprovide sufficient space between them, when said male frame is fullyinserted into said female frame, to receive the body of said circuitmodule at a position between said holding portion and said femaleconnector with the leads of said module received in said recesses ofsaid holding portion, said male connector frame having opposite ends forreceiving fasteners to hold it to said female frame; a plurality ofsecond contact elements, each having a contacting portion disposed inone of said recesses of said male connector frame at a position deepertherein than the positions at which said leads are received; and anelongated strip of material which is highly heat conductive, said stripextending substantially along the length of said male frAme adjacent tothe positions of circuit module bodies on said male frame and lyingbetween said opposite sides of said inner region of said female framewhen said male frame is received in said female frame, said strip havingends positioned to contact fasteners holding said frames together,whereby to carry heat from said module bodies to said fasteners. 10.Circuit module mounting and connecting apparatus for receiving the bodyof a circuit module and facilitating connection of its leads to othercircuits comprising: a female connector frame having a plurality ofrecesses on either side of its inner region; a plurality of firstcontact elements, each constructed of a conductive material and having aconnector portion fixed to said frame and a resilient contacting portionbiased to a position spaced from the innermost wall of one of saidrecesses so it can deflect inwardly, each contacting portion having anoutwardly bowed part with an inner end substantially fixed in positionand an outer end free to move inwardly, said bowed part having asubstantially straight region near its outer end for contacting theleads of circuit modules, the substantially straight region beingoutwardly angled so that the straight regions of contact elements atopposite sides of said female frame inner region are progressivelycloser together at locations pregressively deeper within said innerregion; a male connector frame having a male holding portion with aplurality of recesses on either side, for reception in said femaleconnector frame, the depth of said female frame inner region and of saidmale holding portion chosen to provide sufficient space between them,when said male frame is fully inserted into said female frame, toreceive the body of said circuit module at a position between saidholding portion and said female connector with the leads of said modulereceived in said recesses of said holding portion; and a plurality ofsecond contact elements, each having a contacting portion disposed inone of said recesses of said male connector frame at a position deepertherein than the positions at which said leads are received.